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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. current — of water
  5. hand — help
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. current — happening now
  8. pitch — completely
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wound — an injury
  14. current — electric
  15. tube — the underground
  16. board — a committee
  17. game — a match
  18. hand — in cards
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. board — to get on
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. calf — a young animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com